Building construction



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Dec. 26, 1939. o. l. FREEMAN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 28, 1937Dec; 26, 1939. o. FREEMAN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 28, 1957 3Shee'bS-Sheet 2 Dec. 26, 1939. o. FREEMAN 2,184,714

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 28, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 a@ www QM.

Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES BUILDNG CONSTRUCTION Olen I.Freeman, Atlanta, Ga.

Application October 28,

6 Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful irnprovements in buildingstructures and more particularly to that type of buildings constructedof concrete, masonry and thelike, and has for its object to provideprecast columnar units with integral projecting keys or blocks adaptedto interlock with Athe complementary keys or" an adjacent columnar unitto form the finished Wall.

Heretofore, in the erection of buildings, the walls have generally beenconstructed in one of two groups, each based on dierent principles ofdesign, and each having its own advantages and possessing inherentweaknesses.

Under one group, commonly termed bonded masonry walls, the walls aredesigned to support applied loads and distribute these loads in auniform manner to supporting foundations. The materials used in thisconstruction are brick, stone, tile, concrete blocks and the like,requiring in common, mortar and some type ci bond to form a homogeneouswall. The advantages of this type are its bond, strength at corners,elimination of continuous horizontal or Vertical joints and that nospecial anchorage is required at base or top. rl'he design disadvantageof this type is its lack of vertical rigidity in that walls havea-tendency to buckle and bend at the vertical center under loads farless than the crushing strength of materials used and the necessity ofincreasing thicknessin ,such high ratio to height that designlimitations in buildings are quickly reached.

The second group, `generally referred to as column and beamconstruction, employs the principle oi concentrating structural loads oncolumns, usually by use of beams and girders, the loads beingtransferred by columns -to ground footings. The advantages of this typevof construction is the savings accruing from the use of thin walls forpanel between columns, flexibility in design, rigidity and'high loadValues concentrated on relatively small areas. tages are Athe tendencyof beams to separate from columns at joints, the tendency of columns togyrate around their base, thus necessitating the 45 anchoring of columnsat base and top and rigid bracing oi entire structure both horizontallyand vertically; further disadvantage is found in ob# tainingsatisfactory joints between framework and panels. 50 It is an object ofmy invention to provide a wall unit possessing the combined advantagesof bonded masonry walls and column and beam design, and, in addition, tocorrect the inherent weaknesses of both types. The precast columnsprovide the rigidity and high load bearing qualities, while theinterlocking keys, integral with the column, when interlocked with thekeys of the adjoining columns and bonded thereto, serve the dual purposeof forming a definite brace for the column, allowing no movement eitherin the plane .of ,the Wall The disadvan- 1937, Serial No. 171,547

(Cl. i2-.1)

surface or in cross-section, and at the same time serve as panel fillersbetween columns; also provides thestaggered bonded joints and strengthat corners which are the chief' advantages of bonded masonry walls.

,n further object is to provide oor and ceiling beams projecting beyondthe side walls and formlng a drip and belt course in the finishedstructure.

Still another object is to provide hollow floor beams and hollowcolumnar wall units as well as hollow integral interlocking keys,forming continuous longitudinal and vertical passages in the finishedstructure to accommodate pipes, wires and the like or for insulatingpurposes.

A still -further object of my invention is the utilization of the hollowhorizontal beams as part of the floor or ceiling structures, requiringonly the addition of mortar between the joints of the beams to formfinished surfaces.

Yet another object is to provide suitable reinforcement in the hollowfloor and ceiling beams as well as in the hollow vertical columnar wallunits. A further object is to provide a building unit for the verticalwalls comprising a precast hollow concrete column, story high in length,and having integral locking blocks or keys.

Another Object of my invention is to provide in a building structure thecombination with hollow floor beams having closed end .portions ofvertical walls between the floor beams, comprising interlocking unitsstory high in length and engaging said floor beams adjacent their closedends, each of the units consisting of a precast, reinforced hollowcolumn having masonry keys interlocking with complementary'keys ofadjacent units.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as ,thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the novel features hereinset forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularlyV pointed out in the appended claims.

v. Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like characterdesignate similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l. is a perspective View, partially broken away and in section, toillustrate the walls and oors of a building constructed in accordanceFig. 5 is a similar View of -one of the columnar units forming thepartition wall ,of the building. Fig. 6 is an end View ofthe same. YFig. 7 is a sectional View longitudinally of a floor beamat the junctionof the foundation .and side wall illustrating a modification of floorbeam shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view, broken away, of one form of oorbeam.

Fig. 9 is a similar view of another form of floor beam, and

Fig. 10 is a similar view of another form of floor beam.

Fig. 11 is a broken detail of a column unit illus- 10 trating theembedded reinforcing means.

Fig. 12 is a detail perspective View of another form of floor beam,broken away to illustrate the reinforcing means.

Fig. 13 is a transverse section through the same.

Fig. 14 is a plan view of the beam in place on the wall units.

Fig. 15 is a detail View of a modified columnar wall unit.

Fig. 16 is a similar view broken away to illustrate the embeddedreinforcement.

Fig. 17 is a detail View of one of the units forming the corners.

Fig. 18 is an end view of a corner assembly.

Fig. 19 is an end view of the two units which go to form the corner.

Fig. 20 is an end view of a modified form of corner unit.

Fig. 21 is an end View of a corner assembly constructed in accordancewith the modified form of units of Fig. 20; and

Fig. 22 is a fragmentary side: elevation showing the assembly of a floorand wall unit.

In the drawings, I indicates a foundation or base which may be of anymaterial including the wall unit of my design, that shown in thedrawings being composed of hollow blocks of concrete or the like, bondedtogether in the conventional manner by means of mortar. This foundationsupports my novel flooring construction which comprises a series ofprecast units 2 in the form of beams extending longitudinally across thebase I, being bonded together and anchored to the base in any desirablemanner such as by dowels and mortar. In order to eliminate thenoneifective beam material and correspondingly reduce the dead load ofthe flooring structure, but at the same time afford a sufficientlysturdy support, the underside of each of the beams 2 is hollowed orrecessed longitudinally thereof to form a pair of spaced arches 3 in theshape of inverted Us, thus providing convenient channels for easyanchorage and passage of plumbing pipes, electrical conduits and thelike. The intervening web 4 between the arches is preferably reinforcedas shown at 5 in any desirable manner such as wire or bars placed in thebeam during molding or casting thereof.

The top surface of the beams 2 may form the actual floor of thebuilding, if desired, in which event the same may be finished smooth ortreated With mixtures of tile, marble, stone or like materials,requiring grinding for the finished surface. On the other hand, if awooden or similar flooring is desired, the transverse edges of the beamsmay be longitudinally grooved as shown at 6 in Figs. 1, 8 and 9, for theadmission of splines to serve as anchoring means for the flooring.

The ends of the beams are preferably closed and project slightly beyondthe vertical plane of the walls to form a drip and belt course I (Figs.1 and 7), and adjacent said closed ends, I may provide suitable verticalopenings 8 in communication with the arches 3 but not interfering withthe intervening web 4, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. In thebeam forming the belt course on the side walls running parallel to thehorizontal beams 2 the vertical openings 8a are provided longitudinallyof the end beams in communication with one of the arches 3, in positionto register with the openings I and I4 respectively of the vertical wallunits hereinafter more particularly described.

It will thus be seen that I have designed a selfcontained floor unitrequiring no additional beams or reinforcing braces for supporting thesame, and yet is sufciently strong to support any predetermined loadplaced thereon. Floor beams may have open arches as shown in Fig. 8 orbottom of arch may be closed. as in Fig. 9. To add additional supportingstrength to T-beam sections Figs. 8 and 9, depth of beam may beincreased, reinforcing increased or form of structure may be changed topermit the use of H-beam reinforcing as shown in Fig. 10.

In the construction of the walls W, I employ a novel combination ofprecast hollow column and integral hollow masonry design, consisting ofa series of interlocking vertical units extending from the oor beams 2to the desired elevation of the second floor or ceiling, and which, whenassembled together, form a rigid self-contained structure. f

Referring to Fig. 2 which illustrates a detail of one of thesecombination units, 9 designates a vertical member in the form of aconcrete column provided centrally thereof with an opening I0 defining acontinuous passage which extends from top to bottom, being suitablyreinforced for example, by vertical and spiral wire II embedded in theconcrete cell around said vertical passage, to add rigidity to thecolumn structure and prevent buckling thereof. If desired, thereinforcement may be in the form of rods running longitudinally .of thecolumn, entwined with wire welded or otherwise secured thereto, asindicated at II', Fig. 11.

I2 represents a series of vertically spaced blocks or keys integral withthe column 9 and projecting horizontally therefrom in a verticallyaligned row, and I3 designates a similar series of complementary blocksalso integral with the column 9 but projecting horizontally in the.opposite direction. The blocks I2 are arranged in staggered relation tothe blocks I3 and are spaced apart vertically a predetermined distanceto permit the easy entrance of and interlocking with the complementaryblocks I3 of an adjoining column 9, and, after proper alignment of thevertical units, only requires the lling of the joining ends with mortarto form a solid and continuous masonry structure throughout.

As clearly shown in Fig. 2, each row of blocks I2 and I3 is providedwith a central vertical opening I4 so disposed in said blocks that whenthe keys I2 of .one section are in proper interlocking position with thekeys I3 of an adjacent column section, the openings will form continuousvertical passages similar to passage I0 in the column structure 9.

The vertical openings I4 are kept free from mortar during the settingand tting of the units 9 by temporarily filling the same with flexiblecollapsible tubing or the like, adapted to close the horizontal jointswhere they intersect such vertical openings. This tubing is thenwithdrawn after the joints are sealed.

The thickness of each column 9 and the length of its integral blocks orkeys l2 and I3 are so coordinated in dimensions as to permit these unitsto be used in forming the corners of the building, and by virtue of theinterlocking masonry design of the blocks, require` no additionalreinforcement or special bracing and supporting members.

As stated before, the beams 2 may be provided with vertical openings 8lin communication with the horizontal openings or arches 3, and inassembling the vertical wall units, their vertical openings l0 and leare aligned with those in the -beams to form continuous communicatinghorizontal and vvertical passages.

While I have shown these passages lopen and unobstructed, I may, ifdesired, fill the same with insulating material to improve the thermalqualities of the units.

rIhe interior and/or exterior faces of the columnar units may beindented or raised to form any desired architectural designs, or theblocks, openings and thickness of the units may be varied in size tomeet any required design conditions, one such unit being illustrated inFig. 4 wherein S represents the central column section, IEB' thevertical passage extending therethrough, 25 the embedded reinforcement,i2' and l3-r the oppositely disposed blocks, into which lateralreinforcements 2e from the central reinforcement 25 may extend and itthe vertical openings in the blocks.

For lling in the spaces between the projecting blocks of a column unitto form a vertically straight face along the edge thereof adjacent the-opening for doors,` windows and the like, I employ suitable fillerblocks i5 (Fig. l) i corresponding to the dimensions of the projectingblocks of an adacent column unit. If desired for revers'- ing` theblocks of typical column units, or for iilling out spa-ces below orabove special horizontal members, or for particular projectings or forproducing architectural effects, double i-ller blocks, that is blockstwice the length of llers lli, may be used. Sonie of the individualcolumnar units have been illustrated as stippled in Fig. l for clearnessof illustration.

The tmp-er horizontal edge of the door orwindovf openings. is formed bymeans of a hollow reinforced beam member' ES extending horizontallyacross the opening and supported by the projecting blocks i2 and i3 ofthe column units adjacent the same, as illustrated on the far side ofFig. l, or teeth may be omitted cn one side of column for height oipredetermined opening, column shortened to admit of a lintel, beam,sill, etc., resting directly on column 23 and shorter units fof walldesign 2li i'lll space above beam to next floor level as shown on thenear side of Fig. l.

In the construction of interior partitions which do vnot carr any heavystructural ioads, and where conservation of space is more desirable thanload bearing qualities, I preferably employ slightly modified precastunits of less thickness in cross section but generally made alongthesame lines as the column'and interlocking units of the outside walls.

Fig. 5 illustrates in detail one of these modified units wherein l'ldesignates the central column section, i8 the vertically extendingpassages therein, i9 the embedded reinforcing means, 2b the verticallyaligned row of blocks on one side of the column, and '2l the row ofcomplementary blocks on the other side of the column, with the verticalopenings v'22 provided in the individual blocks of each row. Whenassembled together, these units form a solid and continuous masonrystructure entirely self-supported, thereby eliminating any beams orreinforcing braces.

The ceiling is constructed of precast hollow beams Figs. 9 and 10,forming the flooring hereinbefore described. These beams are suitablybonded together after assembly, with their outer ends closed andprojecting beyond the vertical exterior walls to form a drip and beltcourse 1. As in the case of the floor beams 2, the drip and belt courseon the side walls parallel to the beams is formed byvcasting therespective edges ofthe beams thicker as clearly shown at 'l'.

If a second story is desired on the building, the

upper surface of the ceiling beams may be nished in any desirable mannerto form the flooring, in which event vertical openings 8 may be providedin communication with the horizontal passages 3 as hereinbeforedescribed in connection with the-first iioor construction. The vtopsurface of the ceiling beams may also be used as self-supporting roofingslabs to which can be applied tar and gravel or any other material usedas roofing on flat surfaces. On the other hand, these beams may be usedas supports for structural members necessary in the construction ofsloping roofs.

It will thus be observedthat I have designed a novel and unique buildingstructure composed of hollow self-supporting units, which possesses thecombined advantages of both the conventional column and masonry `designsbut which, in additiom'corrects the weaknesses of each type. In otherwords, by forming the vertical walls of precast hollowed and reinforcedcolumn units extending from floor to ceiling, the bucklingtendencies ofthe masonry design are overcome, and by forming masonry blocks or keysintegral with said column units, adapted to interlock with the masonryblocks of an adjacent column unit, the gyrating tendencies of theconventional column design are eliminated.

Furthermore, the walls, while obtainingthe advantages of a masonrystructure, at the same time can Vbe made of less thickness and weightfor supporting a given load than the walls of a masonry design forsupporting a corresponding load.

horizontal openings .is not new, it is believed that one constructed lofhollow precast beams projecting beyond the supporting walls, havingtheir ends rclosed and beveled to form a belt and drip l I employbasically the same columnar units having integral interlocking masonryblocks which present an outside appearanceof masonry design. However, asillustrated in Fig. 15, the oppositely disposed rows of spaced blocks-25 and 25 are relatively thinner than the central column section 2l'and are provided on the front surface of the latter, whereby when theunits are in place with the blocks 25 interlocked with the complementaryblocks 2t, the interior will have vertical columns formedby. the centralsection 2l. These wall units may be reinforced as shown in Fig. 16, byvertical reinforcing means 23 embedded in the central section 2l fromwhich extends lateral reinforcement 29 embedded in the blocks 25 and 26.

Due to the thinness of the masonry bloc-ks 25 and 26, it becomesdesirable to alter their structure in forming the corners Aof thebuilding, and I employ units constructed in accordance with Fig. 17wherein the masonry blocks disposed on one side of the central section21 terminate in While it is recognized that a floor system with rightangular projections 25EL adapted to interlock with a row of similarlyconstructed complementary blocks 26a extending from the other side of anadjacent column section (Fig. 19).

The embedded reinforcement heretofore described in connection with thewall units may also be used with these corner units as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 18.

I also contemplate a further modification wherein the corners areconstructed of combined units shown in Fig. 2 with those shown in Fig.15. As illustrated in Figs. 20 and 21, numeral 30 designates the centralsection provided with a vertical passage 3l. Projecting from one side ofthe central section is a vertically aligned row ci spaced blocks 32 alsoprovided with a vertical opening 33 and constructed in accordance withthe unit of Fig. 2. 34 represents a row of spaced, relatively thinmasonry blocks on the other side of the central section 30, made inaccordance with the thin blocks of Fig. 15.

By reason of the dimensions of the blocks 32, adjacent units may beplaced at right angles to each other and the blocks 32 interlocked asheretofore described in connection with Fig. 1, thus forming the cornerand leaving the relatively thin blocks 34 free to interlock withcomplementary blocks of an adjacent wall unit (Fig. 21). The embeddedreinforcement, generally indicated 35, may also be a combinationreinforcement shown in Fig. 4 for the central section 33 and blocks 32,and shown in Fig. 16 for the blocks 34.

In the construction of the oors, I may employ a series of flooring units36 provided on the upper face of beams 31 and integralltherewith, beingsuitably reinforced by embedded wire or bars 38 placed therein duringmolding or casting. These beam units extend horizontally beyond theVertical walls to provide a drip and belt course 39 similar to course 1of Fig. 1.

As clearly shown in Fig. 14, the units 36 are transversely recessedadjacent their ends so that when in place, there will be providedopenings in the iioor, corresponding to the operi area between twoadjacent vertical sections 21 of the wall units. Adjacent the ends ofthe floor units, openings 40 are provided to receive upwardly projectingreinforcing bars extending from the column sections 21 (for instance,bars of the reinforcements 28) as indicated in Fig. 22. Similar barsprojecting down from the lower ends of the sections 21 of the next storymay project into the upper ends of the openings 43. Thus the floorsections are properly aligned and anchored with respect to the wallsections during the construction of the building. If preferred, openings4l) may be occupied by dowels (not shown) which may project intorecesses in the ends of the column sections 21 with which the floorbeams contact.

It will be understood that the recesses formed on the inner walls of thebuilding by the spaces occurring between adjacent column sections 21 maybe filled in if desired with suitable paneling, or occupied byinsulation, or otherwise finished. The spaces also afford accommodationfor pipes, cables, etc. If desired, an inner nishing wall of reprooflath and plaster, or other construction, may be built in place andattached by suitable means to the sections 21, in which event the spacesbetween the sections will form dead air spaces. Orsuch spaces' may belled with insulation if desired.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the construction and advantagesof my improved building structure may be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art without further description, it being borne in mindthat numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention as set out in the followingclaims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A combined column and masonry building unit for the vertical walls ofa building, comprising a precast concrete hollow column, a plurality ofoppositely disposed masonry blocks integral with said column andextending horizontally from each side thereof in vertically alignedrows, the blocks of one row being arranged in staggered relation to thecomplementary blocks of the other row, said unit extending from floor toceiling beams and reinforcing means embedded in said column.

2. In a building structure, the combination with hollow oor beams havingclosed end portions projecting beyond the side walls and forming a dripand belt course in the finished structure, of vertical walls between theoor beams comprising interlocking units story high in length andinterposed between and engaging said floor beams adjacent said beltcourse, said units having openings ious floor beams.

4. In a building structure, the combination with floor beams, ofvertical outside walls between the floor beams comprising interlockingcombined column and masonry units story high in length and interposedbetween and engaging said floor beams whereby the weight of theinterlocking units is carried by said floor beams.

5. In a building structure, the combination with hollow iloor beamshaving closed end portions, of vertical walls between the floor beamscomprising interlocking units story high in length and interposedbetween and engaging said iioor beams adjacent the closed ends thereof,said units comprising a precast hollow column having integral keysinterlocking with keys of adjacent units, and having openingscommunicating with hollow portions of said floor beams.

6. In a building structure, vertical self-supporting walls consisting ofa. plurality of precast combined column and masonry units, story high inlength, and joined together by means of the complementary interlockingmasonry blocks of said units and arranged in staggered relation withrespect to each other, the interlocking masonry blocks being less inthickness than the thickness of the columns whereby spaces are providedbetween the columns.

OLEN I. FREEMAN.

